Charles K. Kao Quotations

Ideas do not always come in a flash but by diligent trial-and-error experiments that take time and thought.

The introduction of optical fiber systemswill revolutionize the communications network. The lowtransmission loss and the large bandwidth capability of the fibersystems allow signals to be transmitted for establishingcommunications contacts over large distances with few or noprovisions of intermediate amplification.

When information is infinite, individual pieces of information are worth nothing.

The primary school I attended in Shanghai was a very liberal one, established by scholars who had return from an education in France. The children of leading families were enrolled there, including the son of a well-known man believed to be a top gangster of the underworld!

Maybe it was the home tutoring, or the late start to formal schooling, or an overly cautious and protective upbringing, but in any case, I never became a talkative person. As an adult, I am not always comfortable in social gatherings with small talk. I must have inherited my father's gentle nature.

Because of the earlier loss of the two elder siblings, my brother and I lived a very pampered and protected life. Nursemaids kept constant watch. With my parents busy at dinner parties and social events, we only met them as if for a daily royal audience.

When you are young, you are fervent about the things you believe in.